STARI--Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness

Poor Ava got her very first tick bite about 3 weeks ago! Since we had just recently dealt with Jeremy's bout of what we thought was Lyme Disease, we were especially attentive to Ava's tick bite, and it was a very good thing too. The tick that bit her was a baby seed tick which really couldn't have been much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. We think she picked it up from just sitting out on the porch a couple hours before and it was probably carried up there by one of the dogs. We took the trip to Douglas a couple days after the bite and it really just didn't seem to be healing up like a normal tick bite, which is exactly what happened with Jeremy's bite. The day after Labor Day we took Ava in to see her fantastic pediatrician and she was wise to say "Well since it has a rash, I'd rather ere on the safe side and go ahead and start her on antibiotics." The very next day Ava and I set out for our trip to Graceland with Nana Phyllis and her friends. The day after the rash was becoming a definite bullseye. I called the pediatrician and actually emailed her a pic with my iPhone on the road and she decided we should up the dose and lengthen the duration. Whew, I was so scared it was going to be rough on her like Jeremy, but it seems we caught it early enough to prevent any really bad effects.

As a follow up, the day after we came home from Memphis, I took our dog B.B. to the vet. He and I had a discussion and he swore that of all the dogs he ever tested for Lyme Disease, only one who regularly traveled to Connecticut ever had it. This prompted me to do some research and I found out that the CDC has classified a southern form of Lyme Disease with the anagram STARI- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness. Its side effects are milder than the northern version but it also can develop the signature bullseye rash. It's the same genus as Lyme Disease but a different species and carried by a different tick- the lonestar tick (a deer and dog favoror with a penchant for people when it can) This tick only has a white dot on its back when it's an adult. Just thought all my southern friends should especially be aware that this exists. I'm not really sure why they don't publicize it more.